What can I say, I really didn't care for this cheesy prequel to Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. Basically, I wish it had not been "advertised"What can I say, I really didn't care for this cheesy prequel to Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. Basically, I wish it had not been "advertised" as a part of the series - perhaps I wouldn't have had the displeasure of reading it.

I give it two stars, only for the flashbacks and insights into Julian's past. The rest of the book was pure camembert!...more

I began reading this book with high hopes - Christine Schutt is an award winning novelist, and All Souls was a 2009 Pulitzer finalist for fiction. UnfI began reading this book with high hopes - Christine Schutt is an award winning novelist, and All Souls was a 2009 Pulitzer finalist for fiction. Unfortunately, it was a huge let down. The "bones" of the story are good, but it is extremely disjointed and could have been better with either twice the pages or half the characters involved. The excessive cast of characters come across as one-dimensional, clichéd, and poorly developed.

There are some beautiful passages in All Souls, but most of the writing is clumsy and difficult to trudge through. Schutt's style takes some getting used to and the story just wasn't long enough to get me there. I am glad that I checked this one out at the library and did not purchase it....more

In a word, meh - by the way, is "meh" a word? The prose is beautiful and haunting - Goldengrove is an extremely well-written novel. Why then the meh?In a word, meh - by the way, is "meh" a word? The prose is beautiful and haunting - Goldengrove is an extremely well-written novel. Why then the meh? Well, I just couldn't manage to get involved with any of the characters. Consequently in the end, I was completely unmoved by their story. The plot is bland and just plain disappointing, and the characters were flat as pancakes. Goldengrove completely failed to hit the mark with me.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible book. Gracefully and elegantly worded though it may be, it just didn't work for me. Sometimes well-formed sentences and paragraphs cannot save a novel. It took another week out of my life to slog through Goldengrove - and without anything to show for it. I am a very disappointed reader....more

You know it's bad when you're sitting in front of a blank screen, trying to figure out what to say about a book. This is how I feel about Her FearfulYou know it's bad when you're sitting in front of a blank screen, trying to figure out what to say about a book. This is how I feel about Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger's long awaited follow-up to her fantastic debut The Time Traveler's Wife. It has taken me a full six days to slog through the meager 400 pages of this story. Never once in almost a week, did I experience that "can't wait to get that book open" moment that makes for a good read. I had to force myself through the entire thing.

Her Fearful Symmetry begins with such promise, but the story quickly goes downhill. I thought I'd be really interested in the twins, Julia and Valentina, but I just couldn't make myself care about them. Up to about page 275, I was just bored. Then the story took a dark turn (involving an innocent kitten) and I was disgusted. Valentina's plan to live as an individual away from her sister is not only incredibly selfish and horrifying, but also ridiculous. Whatever small redeeming quality the story had, it lost somewhere between the incident with the kitten and Valentina's plan.

I kept reading, hoping at least for a satisfactory ending. Not a "happy ending" - there was no way that was going to happen - but at least an ending that made the reading worth while. I did not get it. The ending was pointless and without any kind of tangible meaning. I was completely let down.

I am so surprised at the good reviews I have read about this book. The prose is really beautiful, but that is not enough to make for a good story. In finishing the book, my world is neither better or worse for the reading (unless you take into consideration almost a week lost within it's covers.) I will not recommend Her Fearful Symmetry to you. It definitely lacked the magic of The Time Traveler's Wife, and has nothing really redeeming - no interesting characters, no captivating setting, no fascinating plot line. I am really disappointed.

Disquiet left me feeling distinctly underwhelmed. I think I need to stop trying to enjoy novellas - there is never enough there to really delight me.Disquiet left me feeling distinctly underwhelmed. I think I need to stop trying to enjoy novellas - there is never enough there to really delight me. For example, despite Julia Leigh's beautiful writing style and the superb Gothic feel of her novella, nothing is really resolved in this slim volume. There isn't time for the characters to really come alive and in the end I felt nothing for them. Disquiet also fails in the plot department - nothing seems to happen.

The one saving grace for the story is the remarkably creepy atmosphere Leigh creates. The reader is kept on the edge of her seat, waiting to see what's around the next corner - unfortunately there's not anything there, but nevertheless the environment is fantastic. Julia Leigh's writing is excellent, but Disquiet is a hazy story that goes nowhere. Very disappointing....more

I felt that this book was just TOO MUCH! It seemed like such a hodgepodge of tons and tons of information, that I'm not even sure how much of it willI felt that this book was just TOO MUCH! It seemed like such a hodgepodge of tons and tons of information, that I'm not even sure how much of it will stay with me. My other problem is that very little of the information provided was actually new to me. Let me break it down for you:

1. too much sun in bad for your skin;2. drink lots of water;3. using a hairdryer/curling iron/straightner all the time will cause damage to your hair;4. you should be flossing;5. you need to eat regular meals so that you won't feel like you're starving;6. exercise is a good thing;7. smoking is bad for you;

I think you get the general idea here.

The book is full of drawings that look like they belong in a middle-school health textbook from the 1950s, and the so called "humor" used throughout the book, made me feel like the author was making fun of me - not a good thing.

YOU (etc. etc.) is not all bad though. I did find the information on human biology and evolution to be quite interesting. The authors also went to great lengths to explain things such as the functions of our glands, the reasons behind headaches, and why you may be feeling less energetic these days. My favorite parts of the book were the "Safari Secrets: Lessons from the Animal Kingdom". There were lots of little tidbits on everything from the way animals see the world to the way elephants lose and replace their teeth. Again, no new news to me, but I still enjoyed the way the authors related the animal information to information about humans.

Overall, YOU Being Beautiful: An Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty just wasn't what I thought it would be. It is indeed very much like a health textbook, and not at all about things like make-up, hairstyles/colors, or dressing better. If you keep that in mind, you won't be disapointed....more

Ah, I really hate to write a bad review of a work of literature - usually I can find some merit somewhere within the pages, but alas, it is just not sAh, I really hate to write a bad review of a work of literature - usually I can find some merit somewhere within the pages, but alas, it is just not so with Joanne Harris' Chocolat. The story is your classic battle of good vs. evil, and frugality vs. excess. Unfortunately the execution is completely lacking in Chocolat, and the "battle" is not only hard to trudge through but also a little boring.

The atmosphere created by Harris does not contain any, well, atmosphere. The "feeling" of France is noticeably absent, failing to paint any kind of authentic picture in which the reader can become lost. I was looking for something similar to Tracy Chevalier's The Virgin Blue or Kate Mosse's Labyrinth, but I was bitterly disappointed.

In short, for a novel lauded by so many as magical, and fairy-tale-like, Chocolat was disenchanting at best. And on a side note, the movie is fantastic - I recommend it highly! I wish the book had lived up to its hype. ...more

I'll start my review by telling you that I have not seen the movie based on this book - I thought I wanted to, but now I don't really see the appeal.

1I'll start my review by telling you that I have not seen the movie based on this book - I thought I wanted to, but now I don't really see the appeal.

15 year-old Michael Berg becomes ill on his way home from school one day and is rescued by Hanna Schmitz, a streetcar conductor more than twice his age. When he is well again, he seeks out Frau Schmitz and becomes her lover. Michael eventually spends more time with friends from school and feels as if he is betraying his relationship with Hanna, and they understandably begin to drift apart. Then one day, Hanna completely disappears from his life. The next time he sees her, he is a young law student, and Hanna is on trial for crimes she committed as a prison guard at Auschwitz. As Hanna attempts to defend herself (badly,) Michael realizes that see is harboring a secret she feels is even more shameful than her crimes as part of the Third Reich.

I was on a wait-list for weeks at my library to get my hands on this book. I had high hopes when I began reading, but in the end, I was disappointed. The writing fell extremely flat, and it simply failed to engage me in the story. The entire novel read like a story outline - what happened to the meat? The plot was full of promise that was never delivered. It was so dry and thin, it's only real virtue being the fact that I was able to read it really quickly.

I felt nothing for the characters - they were shallow, and I did not care at all what happened to them. There was no development of any of the characters, and they seemed as flat as cardboard cut-outs. The relationship between Michael and Hanna that so many people call "erotic" and "romantic", I found to be superficial at best. I felt no emotional pull between the main characters - they were cold and unfeeling on the pages, and left me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I really wish I had chosen another book for my reading challenge. I feel cheated by The Reader, as if it was a complete waste of my time. It was very simplistic and redundant. I kept waiting for the plot to thicken, and SPOILER ALERT - it never did! I cannot recommend this one to anyone, so read at your own risk....more

By now I'm sure you are all aware of of the synopsis of Ian McEwan's Atonement, but I'll give you the bare bones here anyway. Robbie Turner and CeciliBy now I'm sure you are all aware of of the synopsis of Ian McEwan's Atonement, but I'll give you the bare bones here anyway. Robbie Turner and Cecilia Tallis have know each other practically all their lives - they grew up together as close neighbors, and even attended Cambridge together. At the beginning of the novel, they have recently discovered that they are in love with each other. Unfortunately, the hyperactive imagination of Cecilia's 13-year-old sister Briony causes nothing but trouble for the young lovers, as she accuses Robbie of a most heinous crime, and he is sent to prison.

The story then jumps to Robbie as he fights in World War II. Wrongly imprisoned, his name sullied in society, Robbie enlists in the army to in order to be released from prison early. Cecilia has stayed true to him for years, cutting herself off from her entire family after their betrayal, and now he must stay alive for her, so that they can finally have their happy ending.

Briony meanwhile, has seemed to come to terms with the damage she caused, and wants to make amends with Cecilia and Robbie. If she will recant her damning testimony from 5 years ago, maybe Robbie will be cleared of all charges. Unfortunately, McEwan has a little something up his sleeves - a sudden dramatic turn of events that leave the reader breathless and with a racing heart and mind.

In it's premise, Atonement had definite possibilities. It was obvious that copious amounts of historical research went into the writing of this novel. The sense of time and place serve to draw you in to the story, where all your senses are completely engaged. The plot was complex, seamless and delicious. That being said, I did have a few problems with the book.

Too many questions were left unanswered - McEwan could have cut out every page of Emily Tallis' migraines and resentment toward her family, and instead spent time describing the police procedures surrounding the questioning and arrest of Robbie. Why did so many grown people take the word of a 13-year-old child for the truth - even though she could not possibly have seen what she said she saw?

The description of the members of the Tallis household felt contrived and totally cliche. The patriarch John Tallis, is a man who "works" late and stays in town most evenings and weekends. Emily Tallis, matriarch of the family, spends most of her time in bed, suffering from migraines, and chooses to look the other way at her husband's supposed infidelity, in order to keep herself in the lifestyle she has come to enjoy. Their son Leon is the golden boy of the story - adored by everyone around him. Cecilia is your typical wannabe feminist and Briony is the quintessential spoiled brat.

The other problem I had in reading Atonement was that the story moved along at a rather tedious pace. It was so dull and monotonous at times, that I couldn't even bring myself to pick it back up. I almost put is aside permanently several times before I even reached the half-way point! The only thing that really made me continue was my need to complete the novel. I didn't really care for any of the characters, much less have a desire to see what became of them.

The improbable chain of events and coincidences and the intense and lush imagery, combine in Atonement and serve to overwhelm the reader - in my case, not in a good way. It was melodramatic and slow moving, and I didn't enjoy it much at all. ...more

Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley is a novel about horses and their breeders, owners, trainers, grooms, jockeys, traders, bettors and other turf-obsessed huHorse Heaven by Jane Smiley is a novel about horses and their breeders, owners, trainers, grooms, jockeys, traders, bettors and other turf-obsessed humans. It takes place over two-years and chronicles the lives of various horses and their people.

I know a little about horses - that is to say I've ridden horses, been to riding competitions, and been to the race track - but I still found this book particularly hard to get into. You see nothing ever happens, there is no real plot. The entire novel is much more a character epic, and the only redeemable characters are the horses. The horses are quirky and sensitive, and you become attached to them all and feel their ups and downs, their victories and defeats.

The book bounces from character to character, in a way that makes you assume that the stories will converge at some point, but they never really do. They are all loosely related by being in the racing world, but that's it. Every time I felt I had a handle on everyone in the book, Smiley added another set of characters - I couldn't keep up!

In conclusion, let me say this to you: if you enjoy plot-driven novels, this book it not for you; if you enjoy slow-moving character studies, you'll enjoy Horse Heaven. My advice is to read this book for the horses, because the humans will disappoint you every time....more

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, gives new meaning to the old Kermit the Frog maxim: "It's not easy beinWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, gives new meaning to the old Kermit the Frog maxim: "It's not easy being green."

Elphaba, sometimes Fabala or Elphie or Fae, and later, the Wicked Witch of the West, was born with skin as green grass, and with teeth like a shark. Her parents, Frex, a missionary man serving the Unnamed god, and Melena, his fractious wife, had no hope of understanding what a clever and perceptive little daughter they had been blessed with. And so, Elphie spends the bulk of her childhood hating herself for being such an obvious disappointment to her parents.

As a young girl, Elphie is sent away to a sort of finishing school/college in Shiz, where she becomes the roommate of the lovely Galinda - later to be called Glinda the Good Witch. It is at school in Shiz that Elphie really comes into her own, and makes the choices that will shape her future life.

Before she leaves Shiz, her sister Nessarose comes to the school. The future Wicked Witch of the East is a beautiful girl, born the "right" color, but with no arms.

Elphie, the WWotW is a great many things in this story: she is quick-witted and rational; she's a fervent animal activist; she's an anti-establishment revolutionary; she's a nun and nurse, ministering to the sick and dying. What she is not, as far as I'm concerned, is wicked.

Although I felt a real connection and had great sympathy for Elphie, that's about all I enjoyed about the book. The information about what Elphie does when she's working with the underground activist movement is ever alluded to but never explained - it's so frustrating! Days after finishing the book, I'm still wondering just what she was actually up to in Emerald City.

Just as the climax was building, the author changes his mind, and shoves Elphie into a situation that makes no sense. In the first 222 pages of Wicked, Maguire makes it perfectly clear the Elphie is a non-believer. Suddenly, she's in a convent? She's a nun? And she spends 7 odd years doing... what?

I also did not enjoy the way in which the author seemed to discard major characters. Elphie's friends at Shiz, especially Boq, were fleshed out and had real stories - then all of the sudden, their stories were over. Then some characters, like Fiyero's widow and her family, seemingly pointless to the story, were written about at length, making for some extremely boring reading.

The politics, tyranny, and wickedness throughout the land of OZ were disturbing in the extreme. I thought in the beginning that Elphie would have some glorious role - for good or evil - and would make a difference or serve some purpose - she didn't. She lived ever on the outskirts of the action, and basically "became" a witch quite by accident.

The idea behind the book was really good - it just went nowhere for me. Questions were never answered, nothing was resolved....more

On her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in aOn her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer - the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. The Lovely Bones is about Susie watching her friends and family from heaven.

I felt that the story had great potential for creativity - it seemed a unique idea, and I really wanted to like it, but I was disappointed. There are some enjoyable moments of poetic language and imagery, but most are overdone and unnatural. It was impossible to feel anything for the characters - even Susie herself - as they were as completely underdeveloped. Sebold could have explored the emotions of the Salmon family as they attempted to deal with the senseless tragedy, but instead treated all of her characters with a cold detachment that makes them all seem like shadows rather than real people.

The characters were incredibly flat, the scenes disjointed, the storyline contrived, the ending trite - I was left feeling cheated out of the time I spent reading this book. The real proof is here in my review - I can't even think of much to say about The Lovely Bones, and I just finished reading it not 30 minutes ago!...more